Review: A mesmerizing Iago drives Independent Shakespeare’s scaled-down ‘Othello’

Don’t look for ambiguously tortured protagonists or convoluted plot developments in “Othello.” Arguably one of Shakespeare’s most simply structured tragedies, it offers as straightforward a portrait of unvarnished evil as can be found in the Shakespearean canon, and director Melissa Chalsma honors that simplicity in Independent Shakespeare Company’s current production of the play.

Most renowned for its wildly popular Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival at the park’s picturesque Old Zoo, Independent Shakespeare is now doing year-round programming at the group’s winter quarters in Atwater Village. “Othello,” effectively scaled down to a cast of just eight performers, is a cogent and accessible rendering that, while flawed, features house-on-fire pacing that never sacrifices a syllable of the text.

See more of Entertainment’s top stories on Facebook >>

The uncredited set, Bosco Flanagan’s subdued lighting and Houri Mahserejian’s mostly dusky costumes are purposely unobtrusive, save for a weirdly fetishistic outfit sported by the character Bianca. Chris Porter’s sound and original compositions subtly swing the mood from the buoyant to the menacing. (A center stage swing, never fully incorporated into the action, seems misplaced.)

Company co-founder David Melville towers above all in one of the most mesmerizing performances in memory. Indeed, Melville’s Iago is so intoxicatingly, potently evil, he should come with a warning label.

Most other performers are first-rate. As Michael Cassio, Othello’s loyal lieutenant, Sean Pritchett combines bonhomie and pathos. Fiona Cheung is effectively understated as Emilia, Iago’s wife and the unwitting architect of her mistress Desdemona’s downfall. As Desdemona, Kalean Ung is more a minx than a plaster saint -- a refreshing interpretation that occasionally overbalances into archness. Full of fire and fury, Evan Lewis Smith delivers a passionate and authoritative turn as the doomed Moor whose fatal gullibility makes him Iago’s foil.

“Othello,” Independent Shakespeare Co. Studio at the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., No. 168, Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends May 7. $20-$35. (818) 710) 6306. www.iscla.org. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.